Raymond. T Odierno, United States Army Chief of Staff, joined David Gergen, Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership for a conversation on leadership and the US Army. Topics covered ranged from the General's formative experience at West Point to the future of the US Army. Much attention was paid to Odierno's leadership role during the surge in the war in Iraq. Odierno also brought up the increasing importance of East Asia for US military policy in the long term and recent efforts in the US Army to close the gender divide. Questions from the audience addressed the future of US military action in light of technological developments and effect this has on the role of the military's size considering its status as a deterrent.
